2009 in fannish review
Tis the season for the year in review, so here we go.
My fandom hijinks in 2009
Fanac-wise, Debrief is still going strong and continuing to grow (over 800 watching) heading into its 4th (!!!) year. We switched to a weekly format with multiple editors this year, and not only was that was a lifesaver for me, but it was a great and needed move for the comm itself, keeping it fresh and active. As always, it could not exist without the loyalty and hard work of the staff - my co-mods surreallis and poohmusings and blue-meridian, the Debrief tagging crew: blue-meridian, poohmusings, annerbhp, sg-fignewton, and the issue editors: stargazercmc, holdouttrout, beanpot, annienau08 and ultranos-fic.
I also took over as mod for the sg1_beyond_otp comm.
Media-wise, I am waiting impatiently for Iron Man 2, and continue to love Leverage, The Closer, In Plain Sight, Big Bang Theory, Sanctuary, How I Met Your Mother, Castle… and I'm sure I'm forgetting some in there.
Con-wise, I once again hit ConFusion with the usual suspects in January, my 5th ConFusion. It continues to be one of the high points of my year. It was my only con this year, but it was my first time on a panel, which I did along with Anne Harris and vidensadastra. We did a Fanfic 101 to a well-attended room, and it was a ton of fun. And me being me, I even made handouts (Fanfiction 101: what is it and how to write it better (PDF) and Fic archives and recs handout (PDF))
Fic-wise, well, I was pretty heavily involved in the creative endeavor I'm currently gestating, and conceiving a baby through the miracles of science, and then baking it takes a lot of brain power, so writing has taken a major back seat this year. I did manage to get three stories out (and I thought last year was a wash, ha!):
IRON MAN
Fringe Benefits: Pepper/Tony. Hard R (the sexxors). Humor. Established relationship. 575 words.
IRON MAN/STARGATE SG-1
I Can Hear Machinery (Blinding me with science): Five times Tony Stark hit on Sam Carter. SG-1/Iron Man movie. Sam Carter/Tony Stark. PG-13. 2700 words. Posted 8/28/09. Since I'll probably never get around to writing the epic crossover where Sam and Tony team up to stop a Replicator invasion and then have incredibly hot sex on the hood of the Audi. Title from Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me with Science." Thanks to holdouttrout and besyd. (This is an actual completion from last year's in-progress list.)
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
Legally Binding Agreements between Two or More Parties. How I Met Your Mother. R (language, sexual situations). 770 words. Barney/Lily/Marshall.
IN PROGRESS: A selection of the WIP list.
Old Habits Die Hard. Iron Man/SG-1. Tony/Vala.This is actually a complete draft, it just needs major polishing. May be the only thing I manage to get out in 2010.
"You have me at a disadvantage."
"I know." Again, that wide, bright cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. "Vala." She held out her hand and he grasped it, pulling it up to his lips: elaborately manicured nails, some sort of scented hand lotion or perfume, an expensive ring and bracelet, and enough small nicks and scars on those sure, strong fingers to break the illusion of indolence the other items attempted to cast.
"So, Vala, would you like to dance?"
"We could," she said, "or we could avoid all the pleasant but ultimately wasteful preliminaries" - she reached out, trailing the tips of her fingers across his cheek to his mouth, then dragging the pad of her thumb along his bottom lip - "and just have sex."
He was hard as a rock the second the words left that lush mouth of hers, and "Let's blow this joint," left his before his brain had really even processed whether or not the unexpected turn of events was a good idea.
"Really?" she said. "That seems a bit excess- Oh, you mean as in leave the building, not explode it."
Five other times Pepper Potts and Christine Everhart met
Not really enough there to quote, but inspired by dsudis's SG-1 Bechdel fixits.
Playing Fetch: A Rocky, Iron Dog story.
Before Rocky (and Pepper finds it a little strange how that now divides her life, even more than Before Iron Man), Pepper spent the stretches of Tony's missions sitting in her living room, avoiding the news, phone in easy reach if Tony or Jarvis or (her worst fear) Rhodey called. She even took up knitting for a while; repetitive enough to allow her to relax, but it required enough focus to keep her mind on it, and not wandering off after her erstwhile employer.
Today those waits find her curled up on the couch in Tony's workshop (no longer one made of expensive leather - now it's oversized to accommodate man and beast, and made of dog-hair-resistant microsuede), comfortably trapped by a snoring 120 pound blanket.
This is because the first time she'd left Rocky alone when Tony was on a mission, she'd received a call two hours later from Jarvis, sounding suspiciously strained for an electronic entity, who said, "I think it is best that you return for the duration of Mr. Stark's absence," to the background accompaniment of incessant, mournful baying.
When I've Got Nothing On But the Radio. SG-1. Sam/Vala. Post Line in the Sand.
"Please. While charming at points, Utah has nothing on Las Vegas." At a red light, Vala reached out and tipped Sam's chin up. "You look pale."
Sam felt like shit. The painkillers made her sleepy and slow, and she avoided them as much as she could, but today had been bad and already exhausted from too little sleep, she'd swallowed them down before they left for the store and dozed off even before Vala had pulled out of the driveway. Forty year old bodies didn't bounce back from major trauma with quite so much verve as she had even a few years before.
Still, she hadn't expected she'd sleep right through a state line. "Being kidnapped doesn't agree with me."
Vala's grin didn't agree with that assessment. "It will once you are settled in a lounge chair by the side of the pool, with a delicious drink in your hand and the whole of Las Vegas to explore."
Telling it Wrong: A S9 Sam/Jack getting together story.
Carter picked him up from McCarran International in a classic Mustang - a '67 or '70, Jack guessed - sleek and black. As she swung his bag into the trunk, Jack asked, "What happened to the Volvo?"
Her shoulder twitched in a shrug. Behind her, sunlight glinted off the slopes of the Luxor, the glare obscuring his view of her expression. "Wasn't fast enough."
And last but not least, some fanwriterly navel-gazing.
My favorite story this year (of my own): I love all three for different reasons, so no choice on this one.
My best story this year: I Can Hear Machinery (Blinding me with science). I think I did a pretty darn good job of integrating the canons (granted, the material made it pretty easy, SG-1 having so much, and the Iron Man movie not having a lot, if you're not delving into the comics), and I was really pleased with the outcome, especially on rereading it the other day.
Story most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Legally Binding Agreements between Two or More Parties. Only because it's so outside of my usual milieu.
Most fun story: I Can Hear Machinery (Blinding me with science). I talk about it being the hardest to write below, but I had a blast finding the points in their respective canons where they might intersect, and making them make sense for both characters.
Sexiest story: Fringe Benefits, simply by virtue of it being the only smutty thing I've written this year, but it was my inaugural Pepper/Tony smut.
Hardest story to write: I Can Hear Machinery (Blinding me with science). Though I found it easy enough to blend the canons, trying to match up the timing between the two was a little crazy making, and making sure Sam's voice came through Tony's POV was really important to me to nail.
Easiest story to write: Surprisingly, Legally Binding Agreements between Two or More Parties. Despite never once before having thought about writing for HYMIM, I banged it out in a few hours.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted? Way, way, way less. Wow. Granted, very distracted by the whole last-ditch infertility run, but I'd figured I'd get at least 5-10 stories out this year.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
Gain I stepped outside the comfort zone and wrote something for a show I never expected I'd even think about writing for. And it didn't suck! So maybe I'll experiment again.
Do you have any goals for the New Year?
No writing goals this year, other than to enjoy what and when I do get a chance to write.
Years Past:
2008 fannish review
2007 fannish review
2006 fannish review
2005 fannish review
2004 fannish review
2003 fannish review
My fandom hijinks in 2009
Fanac-wise, Debrief is still going strong and continuing to grow (over 800 watching) heading into its 4th (!!!) year. We switched to a weekly format with multiple editors this year, and not only was that was a lifesaver for me, but it was a great and needed move for the comm itself, keeping it fresh and active. As always, it could not exist without the loyalty and hard work of the staff - my co-mods surreallis and poohmusings and blue-meridian, the Debrief tagging crew: blue-meridian, poohmusings, annerbhp, sg-fignewton, and the issue editors: stargazercmc, holdouttrout, beanpot, annienau08 and ultranos-fic.
I also took over as mod for the sg1_beyond_otp comm.
Media-wise, I am waiting impatiently for Iron Man 2, and continue to love Leverage, The Closer, In Plain Sight, Big Bang Theory, Sanctuary, How I Met Your Mother, Castle… and I'm sure I'm forgetting some in there.
Con-wise, I once again hit ConFusion with the usual suspects in January, my 5th ConFusion. It continues to be one of the high points of my year. It was my only con this year, but it was my first time on a panel, which I did along with Anne Harris and vidensadastra. We did a Fanfic 101 to a well-attended room, and it was a ton of fun. And me being me, I even made handouts (Fanfiction 101: what is it and how to write it better (PDF) and Fic archives and recs handout (PDF))
Fic-wise, well, I was pretty heavily involved in the creative endeavor I'm currently gestating, and conceiving a baby through the miracles of science, and then baking it takes a lot of brain power, so writing has taken a major back seat this year. I did manage to get three stories out (and I thought last year was a wash, ha!):
IRON MAN
Fringe Benefits: Pepper/Tony. Hard R (the sexxors). Humor. Established relationship. 575 words.
IRON MAN/STARGATE SG-1
I Can Hear Machinery (Blinding me with science): Five times Tony Stark hit on Sam Carter. SG-1/Iron Man movie. Sam Carter/Tony Stark. PG-13. 2700 words. Posted 8/28/09. Since I'll probably never get around to writing the epic crossover where Sam and Tony team up to stop a Replicator invasion and then have incredibly hot sex on the hood of the Audi. Title from Thomas Dolby's "She Blinded Me with Science." Thanks to holdouttrout and besyd. (This is an actual completion from last year's in-progress list.)
HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
Legally Binding Agreements between Two or More Parties. How I Met Your Mother. R (language, sexual situations). 770 words. Barney/Lily/Marshall.
IN PROGRESS: A selection of the WIP list.
Old Habits Die Hard. Iron Man/SG-1. Tony/Vala.This is actually a complete draft, it just needs major polishing. May be the only thing I manage to get out in 2010.
"You have me at a disadvantage."
"I know." Again, that wide, bright cat-that-ate-the-canary grin. "Vala." She held out her hand and he grasped it, pulling it up to his lips: elaborately manicured nails, some sort of scented hand lotion or perfume, an expensive ring and bracelet, and enough small nicks and scars on those sure, strong fingers to break the illusion of indolence the other items attempted to cast.
"So, Vala, would you like to dance?"
"We could," she said, "or we could avoid all the pleasant but ultimately wasteful preliminaries" - she reached out, trailing the tips of her fingers across his cheek to his mouth, then dragging the pad of her thumb along his bottom lip - "and just have sex."
He was hard as a rock the second the words left that lush mouth of hers, and "Let's blow this joint," left his before his brain had really even processed whether or not the unexpected turn of events was a good idea.
"Really?" she said. "That seems a bit excess- Oh, you mean as in leave the building, not explode it."
Five other times Pepper Potts and Christine Everhart met
Not really enough there to quote, but inspired by dsudis's SG-1 Bechdel fixits.
Playing Fetch: A Rocky, Iron Dog story.
Before Rocky (and Pepper finds it a little strange how that now divides her life, even more than Before Iron Man), Pepper spent the stretches of Tony's missions sitting in her living room, avoiding the news, phone in easy reach if Tony or Jarvis or (her worst fear) Rhodey called. She even took up knitting for a while; repetitive enough to allow her to relax, but it required enough focus to keep her mind on it, and not wandering off after her erstwhile employer.
Today those waits find her curled up on the couch in Tony's workshop (no longer one made of expensive leather - now it's oversized to accommodate man and beast, and made of dog-hair-resistant microsuede), comfortably trapped by a snoring 120 pound blanket.
This is because the first time she'd left Rocky alone when Tony was on a mission, she'd received a call two hours later from Jarvis, sounding suspiciously strained for an electronic entity, who said, "I think it is best that you return for the duration of Mr. Stark's absence," to the background accompaniment of incessant, mournful baying.
When I've Got Nothing On But the Radio. SG-1. Sam/Vala. Post Line in the Sand.
"Please. While charming at points, Utah has nothing on Las Vegas." At a red light, Vala reached out and tipped Sam's chin up. "You look pale."
Sam felt like shit. The painkillers made her sleepy and slow, and she avoided them as much as she could, but today had been bad and already exhausted from too little sleep, she'd swallowed them down before they left for the store and dozed off even before Vala had pulled out of the driveway. Forty year old bodies didn't bounce back from major trauma with quite so much verve as she had even a few years before.
Still, she hadn't expected she'd sleep right through a state line. "Being kidnapped doesn't agree with me."
Vala's grin didn't agree with that assessment. "It will once you are settled in a lounge chair by the side of the pool, with a delicious drink in your hand and the whole of Las Vegas to explore."
Telling it Wrong: A S9 Sam/Jack getting together story.
Carter picked him up from McCarran International in a classic Mustang - a '67 or '70, Jack guessed - sleek and black. As she swung his bag into the trunk, Jack asked, "What happened to the Volvo?"
Her shoulder twitched in a shrug. Behind her, sunlight glinted off the slopes of the Luxor, the glare obscuring his view of her expression. "Wasn't fast enough."
And last but not least, some fanwriterly navel-gazing.
My favorite story this year (of my own): I love all three for different reasons, so no choice on this one.
My best story this year: I Can Hear Machinery (Blinding me with science). I think I did a pretty darn good job of integrating the canons (granted, the material made it pretty easy, SG-1 having so much, and the Iron Man movie not having a lot, if you're not delving into the comics), and I was really pleased with the outcome, especially on rereading it the other day.
Story most under-appreciated by the universe, in my opinion: Legally Binding Agreements between Two or More Parties. Only because it's so outside of my usual milieu.
Most fun story: I Can Hear Machinery (Blinding me with science). I talk about it being the hardest to write below, but I had a blast finding the points in their respective canons where they might intersect, and making them make sense for both characters.
Sexiest story: Fringe Benefits, simply by virtue of it being the only smutty thing I've written this year, but it was my inaugural Pepper/Tony smut.
Hardest story to write: I Can Hear Machinery (Blinding me with science). Though I found it easy enough to blend the canons, trying to match up the timing between the two was a little crazy making, and making sure Sam's voice came through Tony's POV was really important to me to nail.
Easiest story to write: Surprisingly, Legally Binding Agreements between Two or More Parties. Despite never once before having thought about writing for HYMIM, I banged it out in a few hours.
Looking back, did you write more fic than you thought you would this year, less, or about what you'd predicted? Way, way, way less. Wow. Granted, very distracted by the whole last-ditch infertility run, but I'd figured I'd get at least 5-10 stories out this year.
Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?
Gain I stepped outside the comfort zone and wrote something for a show I never expected I'd even think about writing for. And it didn't suck! So maybe I'll experiment again.
Do you have any goals for the New Year?
No writing goals this year, other than to enjoy what and when I do get a chance to write.
Years Past:
2008 fannish review
2007 fannish review
2006 fannish review
2005 fannish review
2004 fannish review
2003 fannish review